While traveling, whether it is for vacation or a study abroad program, you will want to find that one place that never disappoints, and you know you will get something good. For all my readers of legal drinking age, if you ever find yourself in Bologna, Italy, make a pit stop in Caffe Maxim.
My group wanted to try as many drinks as possible, so we went to this bar a total of three times throughout our stay in Bologna and shared most of the drinks we ordered to get a taste of each one. I recommend doing this so you can try as much as possible while away from home without breaking the bank.
Seeing how the bar is in Europe, it's only natural to order a spritz, but how about one of the not-so-common spritz: Violet Spritz? Priced at € 8 for one glass, the only way to describe it is that the drink tastes like the color violet, but its color is more black than violet. The closest thing to describing how violet tastes would be to say it tastes like a sweet tart candy, which is a nice surprise. Consisting of Violette Giffard liqueur cream, Prosecco, and soda, this drink is one for the books. You don't even taste the alcohol, so if I didn't know this was spiked, I would have ordered three. It is sweet and full of flavor.
Now, here is a drink for the girls out there: Caffe Maxim’s Cosmopolitan, which is priced at € 8 and brings me into a “Sex and the City” era. It tastes like a classic Cosmos you can get from anywhere looking back on it, but it could’ve been the European air because, at the moment, this specific one is extra sweet. The cranberry juice with orange shined through, making it delectable.
Another classic drink you can order from anywhere but feels extra unique having one in a different country is a Margherita. Priced at € 8, the five known flavors of a Margherita all came through — sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami. The sour aspect might have overloaded the sweetness of this drink, but with a big lime presence, what else can you expect?
Being away from home, it is only natural to order multiple things that tie you back to your everyday life or a fun night out back home. Virgin Pina Coladas are what I always ordered growing up when I went out with friends, and trying the alcoholic version for the first time in Europe made my taste buds sing. The drink is € 8 with the sweetness from the pineapple being extremely strong, but, in my opinion, this is the best part of the drink. The coconut helps balance out how strong the pineapple is as it becomes better than what I had growing up.
Caffe Maxim is the bar to go to if you are in Bologna. The atmosphere inside is an upscale modern pop art bar, and the staff is on top of everything.